Houston Press headline/illustration, April 17, 1915. Because today marks the start of the 2008 season for the Astros, I think now is a good time to post this banner headline/illustration from 1915. West End Park, built in 1905, was the big Houston ballpark back then. It was across Howe Street from where the headquarters to […]
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Galveston Historical Foundation Elissa enters Galveston Harbor in this file photo. Don’t forget, you can check out the tall ship Elissa Friday and Saturday at the Port of Houston Authority’s Bayport Cruise Terminal. From the Galveston Historical Foundation: “The ship will be open for tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. […]
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Story Sloane Gallery Medical Center area, 1950s. The Shamrock is in the foreground. I have a couple of odds and ends related to the Shamrock Hotel that I wanted to post. Story Sloane III recently sent me the above photo. We have quite a few photos of Glenn H. McCarthy and rather than post them […]
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Buster Dean : Chronicle file Bystanders watch as the Shamrock Hilton’s demolition enters its ninth day, June 1987. Check-out time. Our story comes to an end. In 1985, the Shamrock property was sold to the Texas Medical Center. As Stephen Fox notes in the Handbook of Texas, the hotel’s size, its location and the growth […]
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Seems most people I talk to about the Shamrock have fond memories of its massive pool. In keeping with that theme, here’s a pool-related picture. Story Sloane Gallery Bathing beauties at the Shamrock, 1950s. Chronicle file From the April 7, 1963, edition of the Houston Chronicle: “The Shamrock Hilton Corkettes will be one of the […]
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Chronicle file Hotel magnate Conrad Hilton took over the mortgage payments and operations of the Shamrock Hotel in late 1954. From the Feb. 17, 1956, edition of the Houston Chronicle: “Sign men are changing the name of the Shamrock Hotel to that of Shamrock Hilton. First they put up the Hilton. Then they started on […]
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“I tell you, you’ve never seen anything like it,” said Houston Chronicle reporter Martin Dreyer. “There was glitter, glitter, everywhere,” the Houston Post reported. “There has been nothing like the Shamrock opening in all of Houston’s turbulent, fast-paced history,” wrote Houston Press reporter Ben Kaplan. Here are some more little tidbits from the chaotic celebrations, […]
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Chronicle file United Fund of Houston campaign, Oct. 6, 1952 Once upon a time — 59 years ago to be exact — Houston and Hollywood society turned out for a celebration. Actually, “celebration” may be understating it a bit. This was a bash — or “pandemonium” as the Houston Press described it. The occasion? The […]
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